Mentors Make the World Go Round

When we got started on the self sufficient life, we gobbled up all the information we could find from books, courses and the Internet…but nothing beats meeting a person or group of people who take you under their wing and generously show you the hows, the whys and the what ifs.  You’ll find great mentors at Landcare, at Seedsavers, at Nurseries and…hanging out with bees!  Rod the Beeman has taught me how to look after my bees, how to catch a swarm, how to requeen and how to manage my hives gently.  He’s always there when I have a question, when I need advice and when I plain just need help.  He loves his bees and his passion just shines through.  Over the last 12 months I’ve filmed Rod out at the hives, in the extracting shed, watching baby bees get born, catching a swarm, uncapping the wax from the honey frames and after many weeks in the editing suite (the little shed outside!) we’ve made an introduction to beekeeping DVD.  Sure, it’s simple, but if you don’t live near Sydney and can’t come to Rod’s beekeeping course at the farmstay, you can still experience his passion & get a stack of beekeeping expertise in your loungeroom.  Beekeeping is just an awesome pursuit (in the country and in the city backyard), they’re amazing creatures and the uses for the honey, propolis and wax keep us busy!  We’re now selling solar-oven melted beeswax, beautiful all-natural honey lip balms and more at our local shops and soon online…totally natural, totally edible…just as they should be!  So…to all the mentors out there who have given people like us a start, their time, their wisdom and their passion, a huge, HUGE thank you!